Addiction
by manyissues101
Summary: -Kaiku- It was an addiction—nothing more. A quick fix, a feelgood remedy. It was never supposed to go this far.


"Mmm…Riku…" Kairi's hands slowed down, stopped unfastening the buttons on her companion's shirt. She began to move her lips just a bit from his reach, but it didn't matter to him; he only pursued.

"Stop," she whispered. "Stop."

It was obvious that his impediment wasn't of his own choice. He moved his mouth from hers, and dropped his hands to his sides. "What?"

"I don't know if I can go through with this tonight."

"What are you talking about?"

She hung her head. "Look—I think that things are getting out of hand. This wasn't supposed to be a full time deal, Riku."

"Kairi, don't do it," he warned. "Don't do this." He had known it was coming. Ever since that close call last month, where they had thought her to be pregnant.

She raised her head and took his in her hands. "Baby, I have to."

She looked horrible in this light. The faint light from the bedside lamp left shadows under her eyes and made her skin pale and sickly. Riku could only assume that he looked the same. But it was just the light—nothing more. They couldn't have been driven to look this way by their actions. Every time that he saw her this way, he blamed in on the lighting. He wasn't willing to think that maybe their panic, their anxiety, their actions had led them to those extremes, to those symptoms of their guilt.

"No, you don't," he whispered hoarsely. "That thing last month—that was nothing, Kairi. You don't have to do this."

"Yes I do," she pressed. "I do." She stroked his cheeks with the sides of her thumbs. "It wasn't supposed to go this far, Riku. We promised that it wouldn't get out of hand."

"And it hasn't. It hasn't."

She nodded. "Yes. Yes, it has. It wasn't supposed to end up like this. It was an addiction—nothing more. A quick fix, a feel-good remedy. It was never supposed to go this far."

"Then lets make it permanent." Riku knew that he would lose, but he couldn't stop himself from asking. It was something that he had pressed her to think about ever since the affair started.

"We can't. I have him. I love him." She didn't look him in the eye—a fact that didn't escape Riku.

"No, you don't." Riku ran a hand from her cheek down her leg.

"Yes, I do." She was pleading with him, begging him to understand. Begging him to pretend that she didn't love him more, begging him to pretend that her marriage wasn't on the rocks.

"Then tell me. Look me in the eye and tell me that you're perfectly okay with walking out of her, walking back to Sora—the guy that you say really love."

Kairi was silent for a minute before answering simply, "I didn't say that I was okay with it."

"Then what makes you think that you have to?"

She simply reached over to the bedside table, picked up a small object and held it out to him. It was simple, golden, and it glinted in the dim light. Her wedding ring.

"This does."

They sat there, looking each other in the eye for a while. Just looking.

"Then get rid of it," Riku said, finally breaking the silence.

"I can't do that."

It was silent again. Riku also reached to the table, pulling something from it. He held it up in front of her between his thumb and pointer. It was her golden hoop earring.

"Then let me have it." Riku took the earring and slipped it onto her dainty finger. It slid on easily, surprisingly. "Marry me."

Violet eyes swelled. "I'm sorry, Riku, but I have to go." She pushed her way past him, gathering her belongings while he sat on the bed, dumbfounded.

"Don't you walk out of that door, Kairi," he commanded. His voice was stern, scary. She jumped. "Don't you do it."

"I'm sorry, Riku." She didn't look at him. She couldn't. "Goodbye. I love you."

It was an addiction—nothing more. A quick fix, a feel-good remedy. It was never supposed to go this far.

Maybe to her. But to Riku—nothing had ever been more real.

0----0

No idea where this came from.

Recommended listening: Addicted by Kelly Clarkson. Even though it really has nothing to do with this at all.

I don't claim ownership of Kingdom Hearts nor do I claim ownership of the ability to say it creatively.

Do you like contests? Would you like to enter mine? Visit my profile for more information.


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